In an audio system which produces stereo audio output, it is often desirable improve an aspect of sound performance of the audio system by providing a wide stereo effect to the stereo audio output. Conventional techniques for providing wide stereo effect to a stereo audio output include digital signal processing (DSP) based techniques. For example, a stereo audio output can be digitally manipulated in a DSP system via an algorithm so as to provide a wide stereo effect.
Additionally, audio frequencies nearing lower and higher extremities of the audio range of 20 Hz to 20 KHz are often perceived to have poor sound performance, for example in respect to loudness, as compared to mid-range audio frequencies. Such perceived poor performance can be due to limitation in sensitivity of a human ear to audio frequencies at the aforementioned audio range extremities.
Moreover, an audio system generally has an associated system noise floor. The system noise floor can be associated with noise signals having a loudness level which may adversely affect sound performance if perceived loudness at extremities of the audio range becomes indistinguishable from the loudness level of the noise signals. Particularly, the noise signals may be more audible than audio frequencies nearing lower and higher extremities of the audio range. Thus, noise performance of the audio system may be adversely affected.
Conventional techniques to overcome poor sound performance include providing sufficient gain to compensate the limitation in sensitivity of the human ear, so as to increase perceived loudness of the audio frequencies at the extremities of the audio range. For example, the perceived loudness of audio frequencies at the lower extremity, from 20 Hz to 120 Hz, of the audio range, is lesser than the perceived loudness of mid range audio frequencies, from 300 Hz to 5 KHz. Therefore, more gain is required to boost loudness of the audio frequencies from 20 Hz to 120 Hz as compared to audio frequencies from 300 Hz to 5 KHz.
Unfortunately conventional techniques implemented with respect to improving sound performance of an audio system fail to facilitate improvement of sound performance in a suitably efficient manner.
Moreover, conventional techniques may adversely affect the quality of the stereo audio output of an audio system in a manner which detracts listening experience of a user of the audio system.
It is therefore desirable to provide a solution to address at least one of the foregoing problems of conventional techniques for improving sound performance of an audio system.